Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies: Changing the Game in Africa.

Johannesburg Business School hosted the blockchain and cryptocurrency workshop in May 2018. The workshop covered what blockchain technology is and how it has given birth to a new asset class called cryptocurrencies (or "cryptoassets") that many people are saying will transform our financial system and the world. With Thiago Cesar, CEO of Bit.One in Brazil and Advisor to the Brazilian Central Bank. Disruption through blockchain and cryptocurrencies is nothing new. Millions of dollars of digital asset trades are taking place every minute of the day. This is testing the parameters of revenue collectors, policymakers and regulators, and central and commercial bankers alike. But what is the real impact in Africa? Are you looking for an alternative to the current swift system, or have you wanted to find a more effective way to invest and transfer funds?

Topics covered:

Core concepts that underpin blockchain technology;

How blockchains work;

The difference between blockchains and cryptocurrencies/cryptoassets;

The impact of this technology on banking and financial services;

The impact of this technology on industry; and

The emergence of a "decentralised economy".

Speakers include:

Thiago Cesar, Co-founder and CEO of Bit.One in Brazil and advisor to the Brazilian Central Bank;

Chris Becker, Blockchain Lead at Investec Bank;

Kieno Kammies, Talkshow Radio Host and Head of KKStrategic;

Niel Oberholzer, Head of the Department of Finance and Investment Management at JBS; and